Bangkok's Scissor Sisters In London, On Ladyboys

Bangkok electro-punkers Futon kicked off their first ever London tour this week, whipping audiences into a frenzy at both Nag, Nag, Nag and Electrogogo. The polysexual, multi-national quartet are already massive stars in Bangkok and are now looking to both the UK and Japan to widen their audience.

"We wanted to play in the UK because there are a lot of restrictions in Thailand," Futon's Beee (*) told Skrufff.

"We could be arrested for a lot of the stuff we want to do, whereas you still have freedom of speech in the UK, so we can be a lot naughtier. For example, Momoko usually goes on stage in her underpants and in Bangkok that's considered quite outrageous," he continued.

Front girl Momoko is actually outrageously sexy full-stop, though Beee said the band's biggest fanbase is currently teenage girls.

"One of us is married, Momoko's a heterosexual woman and the other two are gay guys, but all these little girls come to the gigs as well as a few ladyboys, who seem attracted to the decadence we put across," he suggested.

Though the band's sexual ambiguity and flamboyance prompts immediate Scissor Sisters comparisons, their music is considerably tougher, though like the New York five piece, they're already well familiar with homophobia.

"Foreigners often think that Thailand is so liberal but it's completely the opposite," Beee explained.

"We constantly run the risk of being deported or arrested, because our music is very close to the edge lyrically and the way that we play around; there are no gay bands around in Bangkok at all."

"For the middle class and upper class and especially the Chinese, homosexuality is completely unacceptable though for the working classes if you've got a ladyboy in the family, it's great," he said.

Futon play a full set at Camden Underworld on Monday September 27 (* Beee is also Skrufff's man-in-Bangkok) before flying off to Vietnam to play the 8,000 capacity Hanoi Water Park on October 2.

Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com) Tags

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